The Ria de Arosa Galician Cooperative Society has been awarded Marine Stewardship Council certification for its artisanal clam and cockle fisheries.
The sustainability certificate has been awarded to the cooperative’s grooved carpet shell clam, Manila clam and cockle fisheries.
The Spanish Ria de Arosa Cooperative, based out of Boiro has more than 400 members, all of whom take part in environmental management tasks to ensure the sustainability of the fisheries.
The cooperative harvests about 20 metric tons of seafood annually, working from boats or on the shore and fishermen use a long-handled rake known as the vara larga. The teeth of the rake are far enough apart to ensure that no clams below the legal minimum size are caught. Every 45 minutes, supervisors check the harvest and classify the catch by species and size.
When fishing from the shore, fishers work in areas that have previously been marked off, using a type of rake known as the sacho. Under this method, the harvest is checked and classified every 30 minutes. The harvest is graded on the shore, and special attention is paid to minimum sizes. The activity is supervised by the technical team, the president of the cooperative, or a person appointed by either of these, and all specimens under the minimum size are returned to their natural habitat.
The Cooperative has also invested in a clam-breeding cage, with the aim of improving fishery conditions.
The harvest is sold from the cooperative’s new facilities, which include a packing shed. This is the principal outlet for catches for both the regional and national markets.
“Ría de Arosa Cooperative is a pioneer in the Galician seafood sector, implementing policies that have allowed them to stand out in such a fragmented market, by means of developing new activities and exploiting greater opportunities,” said Juan Dieste, cooperative president. “The MSC environmental standard for sustainable fishing verifies the sustainability of our model, positioning our production under the umbrella of an eco-label that represents more than 10 percent of catches worldwide, and giving Galicia Spain’s first certified clams and cockles.”